A total of 295 first-year students were recruited from multiple campuses of a state-wide university system. Multiple-group path analysis compared parental and peer influences between two student subgroups. First-year students attending 4-year institutions reported higher rates of alcohol use and were more likely to experience alcohol-related…

The social issues involving off-campus students are quite serious as these students are more susceptible to negative influences such as friends and the surrounding environment. Results from the preliminary study showed that there were four major problems which are relationship with the Creator, self-management, social relationship with housemates,…

We used housing assignment data from a college in China to investigate peer effects on college grades. Study results provided some evidence for peer effects in college housing units. First, peer effects through means occurred during both fall and spring semester of the first year in college, with estimated effect much larger than that in previous…

This paper examines the effects of roommates on students' academic outcomes exploiting the randomized roommate assignment system at a selective Chinese university. Unlike earlier studies that could not measure students' academic quality precisely, this paper makes two important improvements in measuring their English proficiency and overall…

The authors investigated factors that hinder completion of the Bachelor of Education degree program within the prescribed duration at the public University in Namibia. The study population was 88 B.Ed. students selected using a simple random sample from the class of 214. The study employed a mixed methods approach. A questionnaire was used to…

This study investigated the role of sensation seeking, peer group drinking and self-efficacy in refusing to drink alcohol in influencing alcohol consumption of a sample of 588 Italian university students. Results confirmed that heavy drinkers are typically males living in university residences. Alcohol use is more frequent among students with…

Many colleges have established substance-free residence halls as one strategy for coping with the problem of binge drinking. The paper presents guidelines for ensuring that the substance-free housing succeeds, including starting small, involving students in design and development, keeping the area separate, considering special programming, and…

Describes the results of two studies aimed at determining how experienced and inexperienced resident assistants (R.A.) respond to training that is both theoretical and practical in nature. Reports greater overall satisfaction with the practical content than with the theoretical. Contains17 references. (NB)

Tested model of college drinking behavior which included alcohol expectancies, living environment, peer influence, and gender. Findings from 92 college students revealed that 3 (alcohol expectancies, social assertion, college living arrangement) of the 4 variables of the model were predictive of present alcohol use. Only gender did not…

This study evaluated a four-hour training program on AIDS prevention for university residence hall assistants (RAs). Pre- and posttraining surveys of RAs who did and did not receive the training indicated that many significant changes in knowledge and beliefs resulted from the training. RAs felt better able to educate others. (SM)